Accounting policies (Policies)

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

– Certain amounts in the prior periods’ unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements and related footnote disclosures have been reclassified to conform to the current presentation with no impact on previously reported net income or stockholders’ equity. The operating segments previously reported have been aggregated into one segment to conform to the current period’s presentation format. These reclassifications do not affect previously reported net earnings.

Business Segments

Business Segments—

We regularly assess our strategic plans, operations and reporting structures to identify our reportable segments. Changes to our reportable segments are expected to be infrequent. For the years ended December 31, 2016 through June 30, 2018, we operated as two reportable segments: Banking Centers and Dairy & Livestock and Agribusiness. As a result of the Community Bank acquisition, along with changes in personnel, reporting structure, and operations, we re-evaluated our segment reporting for the third quarter ended September 30, 2018.

As of March 31, 2019, we operated as one reportable segment. The factors considered in making this determination include the nature of products and offered services, geographic regions in which we operate, the applicable regulatory environment, and the materiality of discrete financial information reviewed by our key decision makers. Through our network of banking centers, we provide relationship-based banking products, services and solutions for small to mid-sized companies, real estate investors, non-profit organizations, professionals and other individuals. Our products and services include loans for commercial businesses, commercial real estate, multi-family, construction and land, dairy & livestock and agribusiness, consumer and government-guaranteed small business loans. We also provide business deposit products and treasury cash management services, as well as deposit products to the owners and employees of the businesses we serve. The decision to combine our two reportable segments was made to align the segment reporting with the changes in our operations and reporting structure, consistent with the level and materiality of information reviewed by our key decision makers.

Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements

— The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosures of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period. Actual results could differ from those estimates. A material estimate that is particularly susceptible to significant change in the near term relates to the determination of the allowance for loan losses. Other significant estimates, which may be subject to change, include fair value determinations and disclosures, impairment of investments, goodwill, loans, as well as valuation of deferred tax assets.

Adoption of New Accounting Standard and Recent Accounting Pronouncements

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

— In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-12, “Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities.” ASU 2017-12 changes the recognition and presentation requirements of hedge accounting and makes certain targeted improvements to simplify the application of the hedge accounting guidance in current GAAP. The amendments in this ASU better align an entity’s financial reporting and risk management activities for hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships through changes to both the designation and measurement guidance for qualifying hedging relationships and the presentation of hedge results. To meet that objective, the amendments expand and refine hedge accounting for both non-financial and financial risk components and align the recognition and presentation of the effects of the hedging instrument and the hedged item in the financial statements. ASU No. 2017-12 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2018; early adoption is permitted. The Company currently does not designate any derivative financial instruments as qualifying hedging relationships, and therefore, does not utilize hedge accounting. The Company adopted this ASU and it did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In June 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-07, “Compensation – Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Improvements to Nonemployees Share-Based Accounting.” The intention of ASU 2018-07 is to expand the scope of Topic 718 to include share-based payment transactions for acquiring goods and services from nonemployees. These share-based payments will now be measured at grant-date fair value of the equity instrument issued. Upon adoption, only liability-classified awards that have not been settled and equity-classified awards for which a measurement date has not been established should be remeasured through a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year of adoption. ASU 2018-07 is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018 and is applied retrospectively. The Company adopted this ASU and it did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In February 2016, FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, “Leases (Topic 842)”. ASU 2016-02 establishes a right-of-use (“ROU”) model that requires a lessee to record a ROU asset and a lease liability on the balance sheet for all leases with terms longer than 12 months. Leases will be classified as either finance or operating, with classification affecting the pattern of expense recognition in the income statement. The new standard is effective for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. A modified retrospective transition approach is required for lessees for capital and operating leases existing at, or entered into after, the beginning of the earliest comparative period presented in the financial statements, with certain practical expedients available. In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-10, “Codification Improvements to Topic 842, Leases”, which clarifies and corrects errors in ASC 842. The effective date and transition requirements of ASU 2018-10 are the same as the effective date and transition requirements of 2016-02.

In July 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-11, “Leases (Topic 842): Targeted Improvements”, which creates a new optional transition method for implementing the new standard on leases, ASU No. 2016-02, and provides lessors with a practical expedient for separating lease and non-lease components. Specifically, under the amendments in ASU 2018-11: (1) the transition option allows entities to not apply the new leases standard in the comparative periods presented when transitioning to the new accounting standard for leases, and (2) lessors may elect not to separate lease and non-lease components when certain conditions are met. The amendments have the same effective date as ASU 2016-02.

Practical Expedients

—The Company elected several practical expedients made available by the FASB. The Company elected not to restate comparative financial statements upon adoption of the new accounting standard. In addition, the Company elected the package of practical expedients whereby the Company did not reassess (i) whether existing contracts are, or contain, leases. and (ii) lease classification for existing leases. Lastly, the Company elected not to separate lease and non-lease components in determining the consideration in the lease agreement.

The Company’s leasing portfolio consists of real estate leases, which are used primarily for the banking operations of the Company. All leases in the current portfolio have been classified as operating leases, although this may change in the future. ROU assets represent the Company’s right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent the obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. The adoption of this ASU during the first quarter of 2019 did not have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements. At adoption, the Company recognized a lease liability and a corresponding ROU asset of approximately $20 million on the consolidated balance sheet related to its future lease payments as a lessee under operating leases. See Note 13—

Leases

for more information.

Operating lease ROU assets and lease liabilities are included in

other assets

and

other liabilities

, respectively, on the consolidated balance sheet. The Company uses its incremental borrowing rate, factoring in the lease term, to determine the lease liability, which is measured at the present value of future lease payments. The ROU asset, at adoption of this ASU, was recorded at the amount of the lease liability plus any prepaid rent and initial direct costs, less any lease incentives and accrued rent. The lease terms include periods covered by options to extend or terminate the lease depending on whether the Company is reasonably certain to exercise such options.

Recent Accounting Pronouncements

— In June 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-13, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses on Financial Instruments.” This ASU significantly changes how entities will measure credit losses for most financial assets and certain other instruments that are not measured at fair value through net income. The standard will replace the current “incurred loss” approach with an “expected loss” model. The new model, referred to as the Current Expected Credit Loss (“CECL”) model, will apply to: (1) financial assets subject to credit losses and measured at amortized cost, and (2) certain off-balance sheet credit exposures. This includes, but is not limited to, loans, leases, held-to-maturity securities, loan commitments, and financial guarantees. The CECL model does not apply to AFS debt securities. For AFS debt securities with unrealized losses, entities will measure credit impairment in a manner similar to what they do today, except that the losses will be recognized as allowances rather than reductions in the amortized cost of the securities. As a result, entities will recognize improvements to estimated credit losses immediately in earnings rather than as interest income over time, as they do today. ASU No. 2016-13 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019. Entities will apply the standard’s provisions as a cumulative-effect adjustment to retained earnings as of the beginning of the first reporting period in which the guidance is effective (i.e., modified retrospective approach). The Company is currently evaluating the impact of adoption of this ASU on its consolidated financial statements. A cross-functional team, consisting of finance, credit management, and information technology is currently developing the allowance methodology, models and assumptions that will be used under the new life of loan methodology. In determining the appropriate methodology, the Company has reviewed portfolio segmentation, data quality and availability. The Company will continue to review and update assumptions and models, as appropriate.

In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU No. 2017-04, “Intangibles – Goodwill and Other (Topic 350): Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment.” ASU 2017-04 eliminates the second step in the goodwill impairment test which requires an entity to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. Instead, an entity should recognize an impairment loss if the carrying value of the net assets assigned to the reporting unit exceeds the fair value of the reporting unit, with the impairment loss not to exceed the amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. The standard will be effective for the Company beginning January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted for goodwill impairment tests performed after January 1, 2017. The Company does not expect this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.

In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU No. 2018-13, “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement.” This ASU eliminates, adds and modifies certain disclosure requirements for fair value measurements. Among the changes, entities will no longer be required to disclose the amount of and reasons for transfers between Level 1 and Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy, but will be required to disclose the range and weighted average used to develop significant unobservable inputs for Level 3 fair value measurements. ASU No. 2018-13 is effective for interim and annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2019; early adoption is permitted. Entities may early adopt any eliminated or modified disclosure requirements and delay adoption of the additional disclosure requirements until their effective date. The Company does not expect this ASU to have a material impact on the Company’s consolidated financial statements.